Neil McDonald On The Cheltenham Win

Last updated : 04 September 2006 By Thetashkentterror
Neil McDonald
United boss Neil McDonald spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Derek Lacey on Sunday afternoon as he gave his opinion on the excellent 2-0 win at home to Cheltenham Town. McDonald commenting on the hard work put in by the front three and the tactical plans in the game :


" I don't think we've had a troubled week, I think we've had a very, very good week, we've worked hard on Cheltenham's weaknesses and we've worked very, very hard on Cheltenham's strengths and I think we've come on top on both. I've asked players to give 100% and that they want to fight for the cause, and that is all I want at the football club, to fight for the cause. I think we've had an eleven, or twelve, with the substitution, that they are all fighting for the cause and they are full of confidence and playing really well.

" I think there always going to be a hangover but I don't want to talk about people who don't want to be at the football club, he (Michael Bridges) plays for somebody else now. I want to just concentrate on the eleven or twelve and the back-up players that are at this football club. It might have been a slow start with the crowd not knowing what was going to happen with him going but I think we played some great stuff. I think we've never been in trouble from start to finish apart from one chance at the end, and it was a very comfortable win.

" I asked for clean sheets from the start of the season because clean sheets win you games and it stops you from having grey hairs and your hair falling out. I think that for the first time this season we've had to be a little bit patient because their team has been trying to come and stop us to be fair. I think that their gameplan was to stop our midfield from passing and moving, so all credit to our players, they have worked the system out on where to put the ball and who to come out with and I thought that they were absolutely fantastic in the first-half to do that.

" Karl Hawley was absolutely fantastic today, I thought he well and truly earned his man-of-the-match, he was top along with Kevin Gall who causes problems all the time. I think that Derek (Holmes) compliments the other two, so the dynamics are slightly different to what they were before but sometimes we have to mix play up, we can't play pretty football all the time. Sometimes we have to go long, or into space, or into feet and stuff like that so I think we have mixed it up perfectly today.



" It's more than a great start I think but we've got our feet firmly on the ground, the players know what they have to do. Come Tuesday they will have had a rest and a recuperate and that is started straight after the game all the time, I've asked them to be professional on and off the field and I think they are doing both at the moment.

" Hopefully the crowd can see what we are trying to do, yes it goes a little bit quiet now and again but I think that is tactical-wise, they are trying to work out what we are trying to do as well which is really, really good. When you get people up off their bums and they are excited and cheering their team on then that's what the side wants and that's what the side crave for, and it makes them run that extra inch.

" No knocks during the game, Simon Hackney is fine because he got cramp. Chris Lumsdon I thought was absolutely brilliant as well, he dictates our pace at the minute and to be fair the back-four were up against it. I don't think they have created that many chances that I can remember and I thought they were superb as well. Chris Billy will be out for probably another couple of weeks to make sure that he is right, hopefully Neale (McDermott) might be training next week and then we'll have a fully-fit squad, hopefully with a couple of extras over the next couple of weeks.

" The management job is easy at the moment but let's not get carried away at all, it's a difficult league because we have stepped up, but the boys are responding and as I've said from the start if they have got a fear then it is a positive fear at the moment. That's what we've got to grab hold of with both hands and that's what we are doing. "